22 
W. E. HOWE. 
POST-MORTEM INSPECTION OF SWINE. 
By W. K. Howe, V. S., Assistant Meat Inspector, Chicago, Ile. 
Read before Chicago Veterinary Society. 
In dealing with this subject of meat inspection, perhaps it 
will be well for the benefit of those present who have not 
witnessed the killing of hogs on a large scale to give a little 
idea of how the work is accomplished. 
The inspector is on the bench with the workmen who 
remove the viscera from the carcass. The hogs are hung on an 
iron rail by means of a pulley which has a double hook to catch 
the gambol stick. They are then moved along the rail by 
means of an endless chain, running parallel to the rail, which 
has fingers projecting to catch behind the pulley and move it 
along, so the hog is in constant motion. The inspector is pro¬ 
vided with a seat, usually at the end of the bench, and so situ¬ 
ated that the hogs pass on review so closely that the inspector 
can touch them without rising from his seat. The viscera is 
dropped on the bench beside him, where he has a good view of 
it. Thus the hogs pass, in different houses, at a rate of from 
two to seven hundred an hour. The inspector keeps watch and 
any carcass that shows evidence of disease is tagged. The vis¬ 
cera is also tagged and saved, the two tags bearing duplicate 
numbers, so that the viscera that belongs to any hog iiTquestion 
can be readily found. The diseased carcasses are run into a 
separate place from the others, so that they can be examined 
closely after the day’s work is finished. Then they are disposed 
of as the case demands, either put into the offal tank or released. 
In this paper time will not permit me to cover all the diseased 
conditions with which we come into contact, so will only touch 
upon a few. But, first, what good reasons have we for con¬ 
demning any of these diseased conditions which we find ? 
First.—For sentimental reasons. 
Second.—There is a sufficient amount of good meat in this 
country that can be obtained at reasonable figures, so we do 
not need to eat any but what is free from disease. 
